Kramatorsk, Ukraine
CNN
—
Ukrainian officials on Sunday dismissed Moscow’s claims that a large number of Kyiv soldiers were killed in last week’s Russian offensive in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine.
“This is ridiculous,” Ukrainian Army Eastern Group spokesman Serhiy Cherevati told CNN in response to Russia’s allegations.
A CNN team on the ground has not indicated any mass casualties in the area.The team reported no unusual activity in and around Kramatorsk, including near the city’s morgue. .
A Reuters reporter in Kramtorsk also reported no signs of a serious Russian attack on two university dormitories, which Russia claims housed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers.
According to a Reuters report, “There were no obvious signs that soldiers lived there, and there were no dead bodies or traces of blood.
The mayor of Kramatorsk said there were no casualties, according to Reuters.
Russia claimed more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a Russian offensive in Kramatorsk last week, carried out in “retaliation” for a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-occupied city of Makyivka, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry. .
According to testimony from both Ukrainian and pro-Russian officials, the Makyivka strike took place after midnight on New Year’s Day, targeting a vocational school housing Russian conscripts in Makyivka, Donetsk region.
Video shows moment of explosion at Russian ammunition depot in Luhansk
At least 89 Russian soldiers were killed. Russians rarely acknowledged the high death toll. The Ukrainian military reports even higher figures, initially claiming about 400 Russian soldiers were killed. CNN cannot independently confirm the reported fatalities for either side. In both cases, the attack turned out to be one of the deadliest conflicts for the Moscow military.
In the aftermath of the strike, a rare accusation battle erupted between Moscow and some pro-Kremlin leaders and military experts after the Russian government appeared to condemn the use of mobile phones by its soldiers. .
The Russian Defense Ministry said the “main cause” of the Makivka attack was the widespread use of mobile phones by Russian soldiers “against a ban” that allowed Ukraine to “track and determine the coordinates of soldiers’ positions.” said to be a useful use.
But that account has been angrily dismissed by influential military bloggers, tacitly contradicted by the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, and discordant Russian command over Moscow’s response to the attack. pointed out.